Stogie Guys Free Newsletter

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As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has named Mitch Zeller as the new head to its Center for Tobacco Products. Zeller was formerly an executive at an anti-smoking advocacy group and worked as a consultant for GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant that markets such well-known nicotine replacement products as Nicorette and Nicoderm. Given that the FDA has already moved towards regulating cigars, the appointment of a professional anti-tobacco campaigner to a key position in the FDA’s tobacco regulatory bureaucracy should be especially troubling for those who believe cigars are an artisan product that should be free of restrictive regulations.

2) Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka says he’s hoping to release a new blend under the name “Nica Rustica,” a trademark Drew Estate has had registered since 2008. The blend uses “Nicotiana rustica,” a wild variety of tobacco known for its strength. Saka says he is “dying to release” Nica Rustica, but currently lacks the capacity to make it in sufficient amounts.

3) Inside the Industry: CAO is introducing a new La Traviata Mochado cigar that will only be available at CAO Wrapped Up Tour events. The cigar is a small version of La Traviata Maduro and Natural, but with the wrapper only covering three-quarters of the cigar, so the smoker can experience the first quarter with only the binder and filler. Find the CAO Wrapped Up event near you here.